Madeline Cromer:  AU Prepared Assistant Solicitor Through Robust Honors Program and Strong Communication Program

How did you find Anderson University? 

I grew up in central Kansas and loved living there. I came to AU because it had an excellent scholarship opportunity. The scholarship opportunity, plus being in the honors program, really sealed the deal for me to go to Anderson. I went to AU, I got married here and then, when I was in college, my parents moved to Texas, which is where their parents were living at the time, and so for law school I moved out there and then practiced for a year.  

How did you meet your husband?  

We met through mutual friends. He was a Christian Studies major and my roommate and some of my suitemates my freshman year were Christian Studies majors—they all knew each other. We were friends for a long time first and then started dating, and then the rest is history.  Anderson is where my husband is from. All of his family are here, so it’s a good fit for us right now.  

How did you become interested in a legal career?  

I wanted a career where I felt like I could use some of my academic abilities to benefit other people. I didn't really know what that looked like at first. My little brother is adopted, so for a long time I thought I wanted to go into family law and do adoptions, but it's unfortunate that for every adoption in family law you have a dozen divorces, and that seemed depressing to me. When I was in law school I interned for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office in their Domestic Violence Section and really enjoyed it. I thought the work they were doing was valuable—helping victims and giving them the support they needed, seeking justice for them. That was what got me into criminal law. I interned for a couple of other kinds of criminal law places. I entered the Collin County District Attorney’s Office, which is where I end up ended up after graduation. They were doing great work there and so that's what got me into it. I don't think there's another type of law I'll practice.  

At the end of the day, what gives you a real sense of accomplishment?  

I think what has been really exciting for me, especially being back in Anderson, is just knowing I am working actively to help our community. My husband is a sheriff's deputy and so I have the unique privilege of seeing cases from start to finish in a way—just knowing that I and the other people in my office are working on giving back to the community at the end of the day, making sure that the people in Anderson have a sense of of safety in this community.  

How did your husband become involved in law enforcement?  

After a lot of prayer and talking to people a lot smarter than us and and some really good mentors—his unique way of ministry was through law enforcement. He has a Christian Studies degree from AU. Once we moved to Texas, he worked as a police officer out there and he is now deputy out here.  

What are your favorite memories of college at Anderson?  

I think probably my favorite memory was living in the dorms. My freshman year was the first time I lived far away from home, and I had the best group of suitemates and my roommate especially was wonderful. Our late nights chatting or studying or going to Cookout—that's definitely it. We also went on hiking trips a ton.  AU is in the perfect location near Greenville and Asheville for lots of places with nature. And then I loved being involved in Residence Life. I was a senior resident advisor my junior year before COVID happened and that was such a great experience.   

The Honors Program was such a great experience. It was academically rigorous but also fulfilling.   

I graduated in December of 2020, so thankfully I got to have graduation. It was outside in December. It was freezing but it was lovely.  After I graduated from AU I went to law school at SMU in Dallas and enjoyed it. I had  a really good experience and then I worked out there as a prosecutor for about a year. I was an assistant District Attorney and then we moved back here in May.  

What are some things you learned at Anderson University that have helped you professionally?  

All of the classes I took definitely benefited me, whether it improved my writing as a communication major or my critical thinking skills in the Honors Program, or just my understanding of how to be a believer in the workplace and in my life after college. The Honors Program was probably the most formative academic experience I had. All of the courses culminate in your your last series of honors Dr. Fuller teaches. I remember we read On the Road with St. Augustine, and that's a book that I still have and will probably keep forever. The academic rigor and the real life practicality of the Honors Program was awesome. Also as a communication major, I know that especially having my PR concentration, if I ever decided I didn't want to practice law, I feel confident that the skills that I learned there that not only helped me in law school that I could now go into the world as a PR professional and I think I would succeed.  

Is there anyone that you know from either at Anderson or outside of Anderson you  look to as a mentor or somebody who's had an influence on your life? 

I think it would definitely be Dr. Fuller. He was a really great influence. We had the opportunity to reconnect since I've been back in Anderson. Probably another one would be my first boss when I graduated law school back in Texas. His name is Nick Lawrence and he’s a great trial attorney. He’s great at what he does and great at training and teaching new lawyers.  

How does your faith help you in your day-to-day work in the Solicitor’s Office?  

I think personal faith is important to me as I look at the people I’m interacting with. Whether it’s someone I'm working with directly or indirectly, my faith helps me to remember that these are all people. At the end of the day, no matter who I'm dealing with, they are important. Even if they've made mistakes or they're hard to love or hard to deal with, they are created by God and and also made in His image, so it's just a unique perspective for me to carry around as I'm working with people from literally all walks of Life.  

What has it been like adjusting to life in different places you’ve lived?  

Dallas is a great place. The food scene is unreal.  One thing I don’t miss about living in Dallas is the traffic. My commute here is much shorter. It’s  nice to be back in kind of a smaller town environment. I love the hustle and bustle of Dallas, I got to work on some really awesome things, but it's really nice to be back in a place that not only my husband grew up in and then felt so much community that that also welcomed me when I was a college student.  

How was the transition back to Anderson? 

My husband moved back to start his job in March, but I was still waiting on getting licensed here. I got sworn in and licensed finally in May, so moved out here in May and we moved into our house, which we closed on at the beginning of May.  

What kind of career advice would you give someone interested in a legal career?  

Probably my biggest career advice is to do a lot of reading. Take a lot of reading, research intensive classes. Probably one of the best things about my choice to major in communications was that I had so many opportunities to write and to give presentations, because the heart of being an attorney is communicating everyday. Whether I'm talking to victims or negotiating cases with defense counsel, what I'm doing is communicating. Also remember that you're dealing with people from all walks of life. Everyone deserves your respect and to be treated with kindness.